The New Orleans Saints threw down a major gamble last year, picking Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 draft. This dude had a wild seven-year college career, but get this: he only played more than seven games *once* in all those seasons. Taking him as a Day 2 selection felt like a super expensive bet from a team that was just plain desperate, right? They were stuck in that awful “phantom zone” where you’re too good to tank for a top draft pick but not good enough to even sniff a playoff berth.
The Shough Question Mark Still Hangs Heavy
After a string of underwhelming quarterbacks, Shough did actually exceed expectations as a rookie. He went 5-4 as a starter and even pulled off a couple of fourth-quarter comebacks. You love to see it! But here’s the million-dollar question for the Saints: Is Shough truly a franchise cornerstone, a guy you can build around for years, or is he just good enough to keep them from hitting rock bottom and finding someone who *is* that guy in the draft? It’s a huge dilemma, and it feels like they are still trying to figure it out as the season kicks off.
Risky Offseason Bets and Lingering Doubts
To make sure Shough’s impressive rookie year wasn’t a fluke, New Orleans went big in the offseason. They inked Travis Etienne to one of the league’s highest-paid running back deals, even though he’s had negative rush yards over expected in half his seasons as a pro. That’s a huge gamble on its own! Then, they dropped a top 10 pick on wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, hoping he’d be the “Batman” to Chris Olave’s “Also Batman.” Tyson’s got the size (6-foot-2, 205 pounds), speed, and route crispness to line up anywhere and thrive. The idea is he frees up Olave, who did a ton of his work near the line of scrimmage last year and was way more efficient when targeted deeper.
But man, there are some huge “ifs” here. Tyson is already slated to miss the start of the season with a hamstring injury, which is not what you want to hear about a top 10 guy. And if Bryce Lance, a rookie jumping up from FCS, is supposed to emerge as a viable deep threat, that’s another big question mark. If those pieces can’t stay healthy and deliver, Shough might not have the “diverse, occasionally devastating” group of receivers they’re hoping for.
Defense Gets a Shuffled Deck, Too
On the defensive side, the Saints swapped out veteran linebacker Demario Davis for Kaden Elliss. Elliss, who’s in his early 30s, is making his return to the team that drafted him after leaving in 2023. This isn’t just a downgrade, though. Elliss emerged as one of the league’s best blitzing off-ball players since his departure, consistently posting a missed tackle rate under seven percent in the last four seasons. Plus, he’s had over 100 pass rush reps every year in that span, even topping 21.5 percent pressure rates in 2023 and 2024. So, it’s a different look, but it might actually give their defense some punch.
For the Saints, it’s all about if these big swings pay off, or if they stay stuck in that frustrating middle ground. Meanwhile, our boys in blue and green? They just kicked off their season right, with a huge 13-10 win over the Pats. Big things brewing in the Emerald City, man!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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